Amen Brown

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Amen Brown
State Rep. Amen Brown speaking with the press.jpg
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the 190th district
Assumed office
December 1, 2020 (2020-12-01)
Preceded byG. Roni Green
Personal details
BornPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationCommunity College of Philadelphia

Amen Brown is an American politician serving as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 190th district. Elected in November 2020, he assumed office on December 1, 2020.

Early life and education[]

Brown was born and raised in Philadelphia. He grew up in a single parent household, doing odd jobs to support his family. At age 12 a gunman shot him and a friend in the back near his family home at 56th and Market.[1] After graduating from Overbrook High School, he attended the Community College of Philadelphia.[2] He left college early to start Education Nation Learning Academy, a child care facility in Frankford and Overbrook Beacon Community Center in Overbrook.[1]

Career[]

Brown is the founder and CEO of Overbrook Beacon Community Empowerment. He has also worked as the coordinator for the University of Pennsylvania Sayre Community School Beacon.[3]

In March 2019, Brown ran in the special election held to fill the 190th state house seat vacated after Vanessa L. Brown resigned.[4] He ran as a member of the Amen Brown Party and won 20% of the vote in a four way race, losing to Democrat Movita Johnson-Harrell.[5]

In June 2020, Brown ran as a Democrat, defeating incumbent G. Roni Green in the Democratic primary, winning 43% of the vote.[6]

Brown was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in November 2020, winning 95% of the vote and defeating Republican Wanda Logan.[7][8] He assumed office on December 1, 2020.[1]

Political positions[]

Criminal justice[]

During the 2021–2022 Pennsylvania State House session, Brown introduced House Bill 1587, which would increase and add new mandatory minimum sentencing requirements and deny bail under some circumstances. It was co-sponsored by Republicans Rob Kaufman, Todd Stephens, Jason Ortitay, David H. Rowe, Doyle Heffley, Rosemary M. Brown, Seth M. Grove, Torren C. Ecker, Stan Saylor, Aaron Bernstine, Martina A. White, Rich Irvin and Craig Williams and Democrats Stephen Kinsey, Nick Pisciottano, Frank Burns, Darisha K. Parker, Regina G. Young, , Tina Davis, Mary Jo Daley, and Brandon Markosek.[9] Representatives Isaacson, Davis, Daley, and Markosek later dropped their support.[10]

The American Civil Liberties Union opposes the legislation. ACLU Pennsylvania legislative director Elizabeth Randol described the legislation, saying "It’s a high threshold here, but this may be the worst criminal justice bill that we’ve seen. We’ve seen a lot of bad bills. This one is astonishingly and terrifyingly awful."[10]

Scandals[]

In 2014, Brown was implicated in deed fraud when he purchased a property at 2312 Reed Street for $15,000 cash from owner Norman Johnson who had been deceased for over a decade. Johnson's rightful heirs reacquired the property in court after a judge nullified the forged deed.[11]

A year later, Brown was sued for $26,000 in a breach of contract lawsuit. Brown signed a contract to renovate a house in North Philadelphia but “completely failed to perform certain aspects of the work or performed the work negligently”, according to the lawsuit.[11]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Armstrong, Jenice. "May I please get an 'amen' for Amen Brown, poised to win this House seat in West Philly? | Jenice Armstrong". Inquirer. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  2. ^ "Amen Brown". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  3. ^ "Representative Amen Brown". The official website for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  4. ^ Writer, Michael D’Onofrio Tribune Staff. "Rundown of candidates in Tuesday's 190th district special election". The Philadelphia Tribune. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  5. ^ "March 2019 Special Election Results Announced". www.philadelphiavotes.com. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  6. ^ "POLS ON THE STREET: 3 State Reps Fall in Fierce Philadelphia Primaries | Philadelphia Public Record". Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  7. ^ "Philadelphia Vote Shows Winners, Losers as Monster Vote Count Nears End | Philadelphia Public Record". Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  8. ^ Roebuck, Jeremy. "Pennsylvania Supreme Court tosses GOP congressman's suit seeking to throw out all ballots cast by mail". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  9. ^ "Bill Information - House Bill 1587; Regular Session 2021-2022". The official website for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
  10. ^ a b "A West Philly Dem is going tough on crime. Progressives say his bill is 'terrifyingly awful'". WHYY. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
  11. ^ a b Marin, Max. "West Philly state Rep. Amen Brown implicated in deed fraud, other lawsuits". Billy Penn. Retrieved 2021-06-30.
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